Relationship Between Social Context and Observed Self-Esteem in Public Campus Spaces

This observational study will examine whether social context is associated with momentary displays of self-esteem in a public campus environment. The purpose of the study is to test the hypothesis that individuals observed with at least one peer present will display higher levels of observable self-esteem than individuals observed alone. Observations will be conducted in a public campus space, where participants will be passively observed for a 60-second period. Social context will be coded dichotomously as alone or with peers, and observed self-esteem will be measured using a 0–3 behavioral scale based on posture, gaze orientation, and behavioral engagement. A total of 60 observations will be collected. It is expected that individuals observed with peers will show higher observed self-esteem scores on average than individuals observed alone.